Sugar Lust

Chapter Eight

"This is it," Nicholas said as he pulled into the railway station where he worked after his father had helped him get the job. His father was respected in the town as a successful businessman and generous philanthropist whose reputation covered his son even during a crisis. It hadn't been a big deal for him to connect Nicholas with the man who ran the train station. The job turned out to be a perfect fit. It didn't pay too badly, he could work after school, and as an added bonus, it included a generous benefits package along with life insurance, which was hard to come by when working part-time.

"I don't understand; why are we here?" She reached into the back seat and put the soother that had popped out of Millie's mouth back in before the inevitable crying started.

"Just wait, you'll see." He reached up and ran his hand through his hair.

He's got something up his sleeve, Emmeline thought excitedly, and it's big.

"Any clues?" she pried.

"Nope!"

The clouds were thick and fluffy, and a cool summer breeze met them as they stepped out of the car in front of the hundred-year-old grey brick train station. It had a low, sloping roof and rounded window frames, painted in dark green as a homage to the town's official color, and then was trimmed in a pale yellow.

"What are we doing here?" Emmeline asked impatiently, pulling Millie's car seat out of the backseat.

"Just wait," Nicholas said, grinning. He took her by the hand and led her to the now-defunct train museum. It was a series of six cars sitting on separate tracks made just for the museum's purpose, a little ways away from the main line. In the fifties, these cars had been renovated and placed on a short set of tracks for the public to tour. There was an engine car, one first class, a second class, a bedroom bunk car, a club car, and at the end, there was the caboose. At one point, people from all over the county went through the little museum, paying fifty cents a pop. But over the years, funding was cut for upkeep, and then it was only open on weekends, then only weekends in the summer. It had closed officially three years prior but hadn't been removed, partially from lack of funding to get rid of it and partially because a strong group of citizens felt it should be reopened and were always fighting on its behalf. In the meantime, it had fallen victim to graffiti and Halloween egg assaults from restless teens bored of life in a small town. The shiny paint had faded, and it was falling into disrepair. Something needed to be done. Either it had to go, or there needed to be someone who would take care of it.

The historical society owned the train, a committed group of Port Hope residents who worked tirelessly so that not one of the important elements of their local history would be lost. Nicholas brought her to the first-class car, climbed the metal stairs, pulled an aged set of keys out of his pocket, and opened the door.

"Welcome home, Emmeline." Blushing slightly, he moved awkwardly as if unsure whether to pick her up and carry her over the threshold like they did in old movies or not. Instead, he took Millie's car seat handle and walked inside after Emmeline.

"I don't understand," she said, eyeing him suspiciously. "Isn't this place closed?"

"Yes, for now," he said. "But they're going to reopen it. In the meantime, they wanted someone here full-time to watch it and make sure the outside i]wasn't damaged any further. They finally have the funds to restore the museum, but they can't do it for another eight months or so when the grant money they need is supposed to come in. In the meantime, I've arranged for us to stay here. My boss knows what's going on with us and is a member of the historical society. He came to me and mentioned it. He knows how hard the past few months have been. I know it's not much, but at least..." He was stopped mid-sentence. Emmeline felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She threw her arms around him and kissed him, with Millie in her car seat stuck in between them.

A place of our own, she thought as Nicholas showed them around. Emmeline had been through as a kindergarten kid but hadn't thought much of it since. It couldn't be more perfect. There was a visitor's washroom in the club car as well as a spot for a microwave. It was already set up to serve coffee and sandwiches in the small cafe, which had closed down the year before the rest of the train. The electricity still worked, and so did a small fridge. They toured the sleeper car, which held two rooms with bunk beds. It would do. Millie's playpen could fit into one room, and Emmeline and Nicholas could sleep in the other. The second-class car could be their family room. She laughed; they even had a formal living room for company in the first-class car.

Millie began to cry, tired of being in her car seat: it wasn't her favorite place, and Nicholas carefully undid the straps and pulled her out.

"What do you think of our new house, Millie?" he asked, holding her cheek next to his. Millie drooled, and Emmeline grabbed a receiving blanket and wiped it up.

"When can we move in?" She already saw herself living there and hoped it would be soon.

"It's ours, now and for the next eight months. It should give us enough time to get on our feet and figure out what to do next. The best part is it's rent-free, in exchange for keeping the place safe."

"Really?" Emmeline asked, trying to stay calm, but the excitement slipped through anyway. Nicholas laughed.

Emmeline didn't want to think about next. All she could think about was now. She could finally start her life with her baby the way she was supposed to. This train was paradise and her ticket to freedom. She took Millie from Nicholas and plastered kisses all over her chubby cheeks.

"Yeah, really. I don't know where we'll go next, but..." His cheeks pinkened as he struggled to finish the sentence.

"It doesn't matter. I just want to enjoy this moment." This was more than she could hope for. She spun Millie around. "Do you see this, Millie? Daddy got us a new house. And let's face it, this is the coolest house around."

Nicholas laughed again, visibly pleased with himself.

With the initial tour over, Emmeline mentally placed their meager belongings in their new home.

"Here is the bedroom; this is where Mommy and Daddy are going to sleep, and this will be your room— but don't worry, if you just want to sleep with Mommy, then you can. You don't ever have to be apart from us."

"She's sleeping in her own room, Emmeline," Nicholas said dryly.

"Don't you listen to mean ol' Daddy. You sleep where ever you want." Emmeline winked at Nicholas. "So, can we get our stuff and move in now?"

"Let's wait. I want to enjoy this first. My parents don't know I'm leaving yet, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be rough."

Emmeline clenched her teeth. She hadn't thought about actually telling everyone they were moving that until that very moment, it dulled her excitement like putting water on a fire.